Mamas get it right with 'Night Out'

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- While Karen Morgan, Nancy Witter and Sherry Davey's comedy show is billed Mama's Night Out, their material is not limited to the experiences of motherhood.

"It's a very small part of our show," said Witter, 51.

But it was motherhood and comedy that brought the three together when they met as finalists in 2005 for the first season of Nick at Nite's "Search for the Funniest Mom in America."

None of them won the top prize, but they had such a good time together they decided to join forces for a show, selling out their first two shows, a pair of fundraisers in Portland, Maine.

Tonight they are performing at The Capitol Theatre.

Each woman does her own show and then all three come onstage to tell their favorite vaudeville-style jokes so audience members have some jokes to share later.

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A typical stand-up routine at a comedy club tends to be male-oriented, with bits about the remote control, bachelorhood and messy homes, Witter said. "Mama's Night Out" is from a female perspective, but it's entertaining for adults of both sexes, Witter and Morgan said.

"My caveat is, get a baby sitter," Morgan said, "and if you believe in Santa Claus, you shouldn't be there. It's a night out. It's edgy, but it's not dirty."

The show includes adult themes, including Morgan talking about her husband's vasectomy.

Morgan, 44, got into comedy while she was a stay-at-home mom, taking a stand-up comedy class to get out of the house once a week. Her teacher saw an ad for the Nickelodeon competition and she sent in a tape.

While Morgan was a trial attorney before becoming a mom, she doesn't focus on lawyer jokes. Her act includes a twist on Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck if ..." act, with Morgan saying "You might be a mama if ..."

Witter began doing comedy in the 1980s after her daughter was born. Her experience with childbirth led to a five-minute routine she would perform at open-mic nights.

She took a break from comedy to raise her children and returned to the stage in 1995, performing in New York City clubs, Atlantic City and Las Vegas.

Morgan still lives in Maine. Davey still lives in Brooklyn. Witter lives in Long Island, N.Y., though she plans to leave her daytime job at a bank soon because the Mama's Night Out tour has been so successful.

People who want to hear their routines need to go to the show because the women don't do stand-up during off hours. Witter said when people learn she's a comedienne, sometimes they ask her for a joke.

"I say, 'Pay me a cover,'" Witter said.

And Morgan?

"I do not tell jokes at the grocery store. I have a baseball cap on, I'm yelling at my kids in the freezer section," joked Morgan. "I'm not 'on' all the time."

If you go ...

WHAT: "Mama's Night Out"

WHEN: 7 tonight

WHERE: The Capitol Theatre, 159 S. Main St., Chambersburg, Pa.

COST: Tickets cost $28 to $32.

CONTACT: For tickets, call 717-263-0202 or stop by the theater box office from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or within one hour before the show.